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PortAventura: General Discussion

Enter Valhalla said:
As I’ve said, they probably had good reasons for removing it. But Shambhala’s entrance was not the reason. I’ve looked on Google Maps, as you suggested and there would have easily been room to keep the wave swinger if the pathway had been extended slightly into the scrubby bits of land either side, which are currently unoccupied both sides.

I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. I know you often defend PA and their decisions, and as I’ve said there probably were good reasons for the decision to remove the wave swinger, but they could easily have fitted Shambhala’s entrance around it. And in any case there’s another entrance to Shambhala’s area the other side. There must have been another reason for the ride’s removal. Most probably nearing the end of its lifespan as you suggested. Or, as I pointed out, it rarely got long queues so perhaps it’s lack of popularity didn’t justify the cost of maintenance. Either way, I’m certain it wasn’t lack of space.
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I'm not defending PortAventura in any case. I would rather any park not remove a ride unless necessary. And I wish it had just been relocated either somewhere else in China or re-themed elsewhere in the park as it was one of my favourite rides as a child. But as you can see from this image I've found. The ride took up a large footprint which is slap bang in the middle of where the new Shambhala entrance is, with only a metre gap of queue line adjacent to the Dragon Khan perimeter. Again if you look on maps you can vaguely see the octagon shaped base from before.

It is a petty argument but it's lockdown and I've got nothing else to do so I'm happy to ramble on.
Photo:
https://images.app.goo.gl/4WpUvNgpjrzKchVg8
Maps:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zXNy6dcK3FVXVyGA7
 
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And as I’ve pointed out, there is scrub land either side of that pathway, in the areas currently walled off. All that would be needed is for the pathway to be widened and the walls moved and it would then be possible to divert the pathway around it.

Another option would be to have moved the ride a few feet forwards, which is exactly what Alton did with their wave swinger when Rita was installed.

The reason I used the Phantasialand example is because, if you look on Google Maps, at their wave swinger, you’ll see that this comfortably fits into a small space and foot traffic can be diverted either side of the ride, they even managed to squeeze in fountains either side of the ride.

PortAventura are not limited on space in any way. The ride could have stayed if space was the only issue. As we have both speculated, the reason for the ride’s removal is far more likely to have been for other reasons.
 
I think we're going to have to agree to disagree, the only way to get around the ride would be to either walk through the toilet block or walk into Dragon Khan's ride area. I can only assume when a park is building a new iconic £20 million coaster, they dont want you squeezing behind a swinging chairs to get to the entrance. The work above would have cost way more than just removing the ride.
 
siralgenon said:
I can only assume when a park is building a new iconic £20 million coaster, they dont want you squeezing behind a swinging chairs to get to the entrance. The work above would have cost way more than just removing the ride.
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So when you say “a park”, does this mean that you think Alton Towers were the exception when they moved Ug Swinger a few yards to the left to make way for Rita? ;)

Anyway, I’m not that fussed, I only went on it a few times and I never saw much of a queue for it.

One thing that really does surprise me on the subject of flat rides is that the one opposite Tomahawk is still there. The Serpentine flat ride in the Mexico area also seems somewhat dated. I think that flat rides is one area where PA do need to look at having a bit of an overhaul.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
So when you say “a park”, does this mean that you think Alton Towers were the exception when they moved Ug Swinger a few yards to the left to make way for Rita? ;)

Anyway, I’m not that fussed, I only went on it a few times and I never saw much of a queue for it.

One thing that really does surprise me on the subject of flat rides is that the one opposite Tomahawk is still there. The Serpentine flat ride in the Mexico area also seems somewhat dated. I think that flat rides is one area where PA do need to look at having a bit of an overhaul.
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Well the Alton Towers version Ug Swinger / Twirling Toadstool was just sat on top of the ground with the steps up to the ride, where as PortAventura's was built into the ground.

Volpaiute in its current form is useless as it never runs at its full intended speed, making it pretty pointless and never has a queue.

As for Serpiente Emplumada, that always proves to be pretty popular and normally has a queue, it's also one of the most thrilling flats in the park.

I would like to see some more thrill flats added to PortAventura Park in the coming years such as a Maelstrom ride type (don't know what they're called) as all the flats added to the parks over the latter years have been kids versions.
 
It would have been too tight of a squeeze to fit in the Shambhala area entrance and Fumanchú in the same space. Fumanchú would have been in the way of the new path. There's not enough land either side for adequate space, on the left you would need to demolish the locker/shelter area, and to the right is Dragon Khan so that's no use. For a wave swinger it took up a large footprint and there was a cattle pen where the lockers now reside.

Clearly with Shambhala the aim was to have a grand central arch that draws you in. A wave swinger in front of that kind of ruins the aesthetic.

It was a 17 year old ride and not that popular in its later years (apart from the PA fan following), probably easier and cheaper in the end to scrap it. I think it's a shame it didn't get relocated.

PA could do with more flats, although I would rather see another dark ride first!

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The flat ride of which you speak is certainly the best flat ride in the park. Most of them may aswell not be there, they are run on the lowest setting possible. At least this thing makes you feel like you're on a ride.

The Breakdance and Huss Flipper are just dreadful.
 
AstroDan said:
The flat ride of which you speak is certainly the best flat ride in the park. Most of them may aswell not be there, they are run on the lowest setting possible. At least this thing makes you feel like you're on a ride.

The Breakdance and Huss Flipper are just dreadful.
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"You want to ride the Breakdance? Please, do wait 15 minutes whilst I nip to the toilet before returning to operate".

"Oh, and let me give you an appallingly short cycle which does very little".
 
Port Aventura doesn’t have the worst flat ride selection for a major park (*glares at Towers*), but it doesn’t have the best either.

Some are definitely better than others. I liked the sombrero ride and the Serpent attraction was fun, but most were mediocre at best. The break dance was disappointing when I went.

With a park/resort full of so many attractions, a couple of newer flat rides wouldn’t go a miss. Something like Loke at Liseberg and/or Talocan would be good candidates IMO.

Ferrari Land aside, I get the impression they haven’t added a major new flat ride for some time now.
 
2021-2022 Opening Calendar
This seasons Opening Calendar has been released this week for the 3 PortAventura Parks and the Resort Hotels, with a slightly reduced run due to Covid. Obviously these dates can be changed due to the ongoing circumstances...

As it stands PortAventura Park and Ferrari Land Park will open for the new 21/22 season on 27th March 2021 running until the 9th January 2022. They will temporarily close on weekdays in April before opening continuously until the Christmas Season mid November. Currently Caribe Aquatic Park is due to re-open in 2021 after remaining closed last year due to the pandemic, however this will be for a shorter run than normal opening June - August as opposed to May - September.

Although not yet released officially, fan sites have stated all Resort Hotels are planned to be open this year with the exception of PortAventura's Hotel Caribe**** and PortAventura's Club San Juan***** which will be closed for refurbishment (and presumably guest numbers).


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PAWave
 
Spain are saying they won't be accepting international visitors until late summer 2021. Their economy is going to be ruined by this more than most as tourism is definitely more important to them than most other places.
 
Benjsh said:
Spain are saying they won't be accepting international visitors until late summer 2021. Their economy is going to be ruined by this more than most as tourism is definitely more important to them than most other places.
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Which I don't blame them for to be honest, I think as did last year, the opening times will be reduced from their normal extra long days (10:00-24:00hr) to around 7/8pm closes again which is although a shame, completely understandable at the moment. Personally I'd have just kept the Waterpark closed this year too as it seems a bit pointless only opening for such a short period. But I suppose they're wanting to get things as back to normal as they can.
 
siralgenon said:
Although not yet released officially, fan sites have stated all Resort Hotels are planned to be open this year with the exception of PortAventura's Hotel Caribe**** and PortAventura's Club San Juan***** which will be closed for refurbishment (and presumably guest numbers).
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Please could I remind you of our member expectations ;):
 

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So this week I found something out about PortAventura that I never knew (there's me thinking I was a good fan!) and it's that Hotel Caribe wasn't actually built by PortAventura and didn't used to be a PortAventura hotel! I don't know if it's just me that's been living under a rock, or that it's common knowledge but I was pretty shocked by this!

After doing a bit of research I found out that when Hotel Caribe (then Hotel Caribe Resort) opened in 2003, it had been built and was being run by a different company, designed to compliment the theme of the new Waterpark which would also soon be debuting. The hotel was a PortAventura Partner Hotel (similar to Magic Circus, Explorers etc. at Disneyland Paris) where although nothing to do with PortAventura itself, guests received the same benefits as PortAventura Hotel guests (then only Hotel PortAventura and Hotel El Paso) which included free entry to PortAventura Park and then Costa Caribe which opened the same year. Two years later in 2005 PortAventura bought Hotel Caribe Resort from the other company and it became an official resort hotel with the name later changing to Hotel Caribe with the addition of Club San Juan.

Looking back it now makes sense why the hotel has never appeared up to par with the other resort hotels. It's always had pretty appalling reviews and standards have been way below the other hotels, in terms of theming and layout, with although having a Caribbean theme, it's very minimalistic and basic compared to the others. In recent years however PortAventura have begun a major renovation of the hotel starting with adding more theming to the entrance and lobby, as well as other guest areas, bringing a more colourful and vibrant theme to the hotel as opposed to the pretty bland look it had before. Following Hotel PortAventura and Hotel El Paso in the last few years, Hotel Caribe is expected to have a major refurbishment of all rooms and the remaining guest areas this year while it remains closed due to COVID-19.

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Post-PA

Over at Hotel Colorado Creek despite COVID-19 restrictions Phase 2 of the new hotel is progressing nicely with the construction of more guest rooms and ground clearing for the hotels pool.
 
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It kind of makes sense given how 'generic' it was (is? - I haven't seen the hotel for years) and the distance it is from the rest of the resort. I always felt it was a bit out of the way, when the other hotels pretty much have direct theme park access.
 
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